Do you have favorites? Favorite meal? Favorite season? Well, now it’s time to vote for your favorite family-friendly businesses in Kansas City. We asked our readers to nominate their favorites, we narrowed them down all of the entries, and now it’s time to vote. Vote for your favorite business in our 2014 KC Parent’s Family Faves Contest. Voting is open Sept. 11-26th. Winning businesses will be featured in an upcoming issue of KC Parent Magazine.
MUSIC/ARTS INSTITUTE
Anny Hiestand, Guest Teen Blogger
Great Hispanic Restaurants in KC
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 by celebrating the histories, achievements and cultures of Americans with origins from Spain, Mexico the Caribbean and Central and South America. This year, celebrate with a delicious meal at one of these five authentic restaurants:
- El Pulgarcito (5921 Merriam Dr., Shawnee, 913.384.3887) is a small family-owned restaurant that serves authentic El Salvadoran food, including fried green plantains, empanadas, tacos and a variety of Central American entrees. Must Try: Known for their papusas, an authentic Salvadoran dish made with handmade corn tortillas filled with meat, cheese and beans, they offer a variety of flavors and sauces to enjoy.
- Poco’s (3063 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 816.931.2526) serves authentic Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This eatery has been voted best for fish tacos, chilaquiles and huevos rancheros in contests over the years. With made-from-scratch fiery salsas and a vast menu of spicy favorites, Poco’s offers much to savor. Must Try: A little bit of everything¦but we are partial to the fish tacos.
- Empanada Madness (906 SW Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 816.503.6931) is a casual Venezuelan restaurant on Southwest Boulevard. In addition to their namesake empanadas, they serve arepas (meat-filled fried bread pockets of deliciousness), and a to-die-for tres leche cake. Must Try: They know what they do best, and it is their empanadas. The stuffed corn pastries are fried to a delicious perfection. Choose a variety of meat and cheese fillings.
- Piropos (4141 N. Mulberry Dr., Kansas City, MO, 816.741.3600) is an upscale Argentinian restaurant in Briarcliff Village, perfect for a romantic date night or celebration. It features a piano bar and great view of the city skyline. The eatery serves seafood, soups, empanadas and grilled steaks. Must Try: The crab bisque is out of this world.
- Em Chamas (6101 NW 63rd Ter., Kansas City, MO, 816.505.7100) is an upscale Brazilian rodizio-style steakhouse in the Northland. Serving beef, pork, lamb and chicken slow roasted over a wood-fired grill, the staff offers continuous tableside service style called “rodizio.” Customers signal the servers with a coin to indicate whether they do or do not desire to try more delicious meats. In addition to the grilled meat, you enjoy unlimited trips to the salad bar. Must Try: Everything! That is the treat of Churrasco dining.
Kansas City’s Labor Day Weekend Fun Guide
We’ve rounded up our Top Picks for Labor Day Weekend! From one final dip in your favorite pool, to FREE concerts, to a great day at local amusement parks and attractions, and fabulous festivals… there is truly something for everyone! Always check the KC Parent Coupon page for discounts and deals at favorite venues and remember our KC Kids Eat Free Guide for savings on family dining too.
Union Station: The Discovery of King Tut
- When, Where, What: Science City at Union Station is the place to be this summer!
- Why We LOVE It: Science City is Kansas City’s largest, most interactive science museum with something for visitors of all ages. Favorite exhibits include the Challenger Exhibit where you gear up as an astronaut for space flight, DinoLab where children dig for bones and watch as fossils are preserved, Echo Cave where children learn about nature firsthand, and exhibits about health, engineering, water, optical illusions and more. Top off your visit with a planetarium show for an unforgettable experience. This summer enjoy the Discovery of King Tut Exhibit.
- About The Discovery of King Tut: This never before assembled complete recreation of King Tut’s Tomb and Treasure is making its North American debut in Kansas City. In this breathtaking exhibition, you will learn about and walk in the footsteps of the 1922 discovery of the most significant ancient Egyptian archeological site imaginable. Explore the tomb’s treasures as they were at the moment of discovery. Marvel at more than 1,000 brilliant objects, filling nearly 20,000 square feet. Listen as Howard Carter tells his story of mystery and adventure (audio tour included with every ticket purchase). Additional admission charged.
Rag, Swing, Bop!
- When, Where, What: Showing Aug 29 & 30 Paul Mesner Puppets performs at Gem Theater (1615 E 18th St Kansas City, MO) Tickets: $16 adults $11 children.
- Why We LOVE It: This musical journey starts with the marching beat of John Phillips Souza, segues into the syncopated piano of Scott Joplin, and into the world of Kansas City jazz. As a boy, Charlie Parker becomes fascinated with all this music, and with a saxophone in his hands, breaks into this rollicking and often risque’ world. He masters “step jazz”, and goes out on the road, all the while reinventing the jazz sound that leads to his own unique style known as bebop.
Cool Crest
- The Facts: Cool Crest 10735 E US Hwy 40, Independence MO. Kansas City’s original mini-golf and arcade family-fun center is offering great discounts and specials all weekend long! Visit http://coolcrest.com/home/specials–promos/ for full details! Tip: Check out our exclusive KC Parent Coupons for Cool Crest before your visit.
- Labor Day Weekend Specials: Friday, August 29th – Monday, September 1st
- Token Sale: 60 Arcade Tokens for $10; 100 Arcade Tokens for $15; 300 Arcade Tokens for $40
- Monday, September 1st Only Open-6pm: All-You-Can-Play Special! Unlimited Mini Golf, 2 Go-Kart Rides, 10 Arcade Tokens,
- Only $10.99 Per Person.
- Why We LOVE It: Cool Crest features 4 miniature golf courses with mechanical hazards, water traps, and decorations ranging from the Statue of Liberty to windmills and dragons. The dragon with the opening/closing mouth is always a favorite. Cool Crest also offers arcades, indoor soft play, and Go Karts (another favorite). They have a pizza shop for snacks and sodas after you play. Miniature Golf, Go Karts, and arcades are a great way to relax and enjoy family fun together. Bring the camera!
Gardens Gone Wild
- When, Where, What: Powell Gardens (816.697.2600. 1609 N.W. U.S. Highway 50 Kingsville, MO.) exhibit Gardens Gone Wild thru Oct. 5.
- Why We LOVE It: This exhibit features a collection of exquisite sculptures beautifully displayed in the acres of gardens at Powell Gardens. Adding to the fun, the staff at Powell Gardens prepared an Amazing Animal Quest for kids to enjoy their exploration of the sculptures and learn more about their favorite animals. My girls adored the animals (especially the bears) and they had fun learning more about them and mimicking their behaviors with the Animal Quest prompts. The exhibition is included with regular Garden admission.
- Bonus: Powell Gardens is hosting an array of fun extra events in conjunction with the exhibit! Follow their calendar for information.
A Day at the Beach
- The Facts: Kansas City is home to several beautiful lakes with swim beaches, boat rentals and great fishing spots. The local swim beaches close Labor Day Weekend, making this your LAST CHANCE to play in the sand and swim at the lake this year. Read our guide to Kansas City’s Lakes and Watersports to choose the best beach, boat rental, or fishing hole near you!
- Why We LOVE It: We love to visit the local lakes each summer! The kids can play in the sand, swim, enjoy their inflatables (not allowed at most local pools), and picnic. And, it’s affordable too! The kids love to play in the sand and build sand castles and swim and play in the water. Best of all, it is zero-entry making it easy for little ones (and due to this year’s drought, it doesn’t get deep – adults are able to touch almost the entire distance). Life Guards are on duty at all times and the beach is large enough to accommodate a lot of people without getting crowded, making this a great summer fun outing for a break from the pool! Read our TIPS for the Best Day at the Beach before you head out!
Santa-Cali-Gon
- The Facts: Santa-Cali-Gon is Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, Independence, MO. FREE except carnival and vendor purchases 816.252.4745
- Why We LOVE It: This premier annual festival on historic Independence Square features more than 400 crafters/vendors and more than 100 food booths, free local and nationally known country western music on a community stage, gospel stage and headliner stage, a midway carnival and old fashioned contests like watermelon seed spitting, ice cream eating and rootbeer chugging.
Worlds of Fun & Oceans of Fun
- The Facts: Worlds of Fun 4545 Worlds of Fun Dr., KCMO. Open Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 29 & 30) 10am-10pm, Monday (Sept. 1) from 10am-7pm. and Oceans of Fun open 10:30am-7pm Sat-Mon Labor Day Weekend.
- Why We LOVE It: Enjoy both parks for one ticket. Oceans of Fun is open for the final time of the summer this weekend. Worlds of Fun is home to seven world class roller coasters, including one of the tallest, longest and fastest roller coasters in the world, the Mamba, with a first drop of 205 feet! The Patriot is a giant inverted coaster with four inversions, all at a top speed of 65 mph. Enjoy a thrill as the entire family rides together on the Spinning Dragons, where the cars freely rotate along the track. Or ride the classic wooden roller coaster the Timber Wolf. Guests of all ages love the live shows. Young children enjoy Planet Snoopy with great rides for kids. And the theme park boasts dozens of thrill rides and attractions for guests of all ages.
Pops in the Park:
- The Facts: Sept. 1 Kansas City Symphony performance at Theatre in the Park at Shawnee Mission Park, 7710 Renner Road, Shawnee, KS. The parking lot opens at 4:30 p.m., with gates opening at 5 p.m. The Symphony’s Instrument Petting Zoo starts at 5:30 p.m., and pre-concert entertainment provided by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City begins at 6 p.m. The Kansas City Symphony will begin performing at 7 p.m.
- Why We LOVE It: We kicked off summer with the Symphony’s FREE Concert at Celebration at the Station, now bid farewell to summer with The Kansas City Symphony’s FREE Labor Day concert at The Theatre in the Park at Shawnee Mission Park! All ages enjoy the beautiful outdoor setting. Pack a picnic and enjoy the holiday with familiar classics conducted by Assistant Conductor Aram Demirjian, and will celebrate the holiday with patriotic and familiar classics.
Apple Picking
- The Facts: Kansas City is home to many great apple orchards, and Labor Day Weekend is the season opening for many of them! Read our guide to Apple Picking in Kansas City for a complete list of Missouri and Kansas orchards.
- Why We LOVE It: It’s apple picking season! Kids love taking a trip to local farms. Each of the u-pick Apple Farms on our list is a locally owned family operation designed to provide the best in healthy produce and a great family outing. So, grab the camera and the cooler and take the kids on a trip they won’t forget! Read our Apple Picking Tips before you go to experience the most fun-filled day… AND be sure to call the orchard ahead to verify availability! Our #1 Favorite orchard? Schweizer Orchards in St. Joseph, Missouri! Read our Tips for a St. Joseph Apple Picking Day Trip before you go!
One Last Dip in the Pool
- The Facts: Most local pools close Labor Day Weekend. Visit your favorite pool one last time, or discover a new one with our guide to Kansas City’s Pools and Waterparks.
- Why We LOVE It: It only seems appropriate to bid farewell to summer the same way you welcomed its arrival.. .and after one long, hot, dry summer…. the weather is a bit more pleasant making it even more fun to take the family out for a swim!
Exploring Some of Kansas City’s Most “Grown-Up” Museums
Writing has always been my first love-specifically writing about Kansas City. But, once upon a time, it was my dream to be a museum curator. Once, in my teens, while I volunteered at a local museum, I was visiting with the curator about her job. She told me how she dreamed of working at a museum, going behind the scenes and discovering the secrets held within. And that is exactly what intrigued me. I loved learning stories about the people who lived long ago, who shaped the world we live in and who once held in their hands the artifacts we now admire.
Yes, I abandoned my career in museums for my greater love of writing, but museums still hold a special place in my heart. And so, I take my children to museums, including those typically considered “grown-up” attractions. Every one of my daughters has visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Truman Presidential Library, the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial and other similar sites in strollers, holding hands and, now as early elementary girls, with notebooks in tow.
I want my children to be comfortable learning, exploring, asking questions and discovering new things. I want them to begin to appreciate art and find their favorite pieces. I want them to ask and inquire about historic inventions that may seem archaic to us but were perhaps used by our grandparents and great-grandparents just a few generations ago. I want their world to be larger than their bedrooms and playrooms, and so we visit museums.
These are a few of our favorite not-just-for-grown-ups attractions in Kansas City and why we, as a family (including young children), love them:
The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial (100 W. 26th St., Kansas City, MO, 816.888.8100). More than 50 years ago, my grandfather proposed to my grandmother at Liberty Memorial, and more than 10 years ago my husband proposed to me at the same spot. We make it a tradition to revisit every year and take photos, and we especially love to go to the top of the tower for spectacular views of the city. Within the museum walls below, however, lies one of the best historic sites in the Midwest, the National World War I Museum. With tremendous state-of-the-art exhibits telling the story of World War I and, more importantly, the soldiers and civilians of the era-their sacrifices, their journeys-this is one of Kansas City’s most important attractions.
Before our visit, we talked a bit about the war, and the girls visited with our elderly neighbor whose father fought in World War I.
Realizing that World War I is a complex era of history for anyone to grasp, but especially the youngest visitors, the museum provides a free family gallery guide booklet for children. The guidebook includes a map of the galleries, games, puzzles, question and answer sections for various exhibits and a scavenger hunt to complete throughout the galleries. The guidebook is wonderful and helped my children appreciate learning about the artifacts and exhibits throughout the museum. We learned about German spiked helmets, the American Red Cross, the role of women during the war and differences between the various militaries. Hands-on exhibits throughout, including large-screen technology allowing visitors to design propaganda, explore World War I-era Kansas City and learn more about the period, helped shape our girls’ perspective of history.
The museum takes a full afternoon to explore, and they do offer a café for a snack break, as well as trips to the top of the tower (an elevator ride followed by climbing several dozen stairs to the top) for photos.
The Discovery of King Tut at Union Station (30 W. Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO, 816.460.2020). Union Station brings world-class touring exhibits to Kansas City for wonderful educational opportunities without the price of a travel fare, and as a local mom, I love this! The Discovery of King Tut exhibit offers a recreation of King Tut’s tomb and treasure. The exhibit takes visitors on a journey to learn about the 1922 discovery of the young pharaoh’s tomb and an exploration of more than 1,000 treasures. Audio tours are included, allowing guests to select which portions of the tour to listen to in their chosen order. The exhibit first teaches about King Tut’s Egyptian era and culture, then it covers the discovery of his tomb and treasure. Finally, visitors experience firsthand a replica site of the burial chamber and learn about ancient Egyptian burial practices, religious beliefs and customs.
Before the tour, we read about Egypt and King Tut in particular (thanks to the local library), and we visited the Egyptian art on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
First Fridays in the Crossroads On the first Friday of each month, the Kansas City Crossroads district becomes a celebration of the arts for the entire community. With live music on street corners, food truck vendors in the district, a variety of fantastic restaurants to choose from and dozens of art galleries to explore, First Fridays are a firsthand arts experience unlike any other. Visitors will find a variety of galleries to enjoy, each featuring different artists working with a variety of media and exhibiting all types of art. So much to see and enjoy! Before visiting, I always explore the Crossroads district website for information on current exhibits. Some exhibits are more family-friendly than others, and some are more interesting to our family than others. We never have time to see them all, so I choose in advance which galleries to explore. It is a wonderful free way to learn about a variety of current art forms, and many of the artists are on hand to answer questions about their art.
Arabia Steamboat Museum (400 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 816.471.4030) The steamboat Arabia sank in 1856 in the Missouri River, and the Hawley family excavated her remains, creating one of the most fascinating museums in the metro. Families learn about life in the 1850s and the day-to-day objects families would use in their homes, all discovered in the bottom of the Missouri River in the shipwreck. The exhibits cover the discovery of the steamboat, her rescue and the restoration of the treasures aboard. Before visiting, read about life in the 1850s with classic children’s books like Little House on the Prairie or the works of Mark Twain.
I know my children do not understand all the nuances of history or art when we visit a museum, but I also know that learning about historic treasures, having the opportunity to ask questions and explore and seeing things firsthand spark a curiosity and interest that will serve them well. And, in my opinion, discovering the secrets of treasures is, well, amazing fun!
Kristina Light has many fond memories of discovering treasures at historic sites in her youth with her friend Evelyn, and now she takes her girls on “treasure hunts.”
A Kansas City Celebration of all things Chocolate Chip
May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day. Not that chocolate chips need a day-we all know that they are one of America’s all-time favorite go-to ingredients for sweet treats and delectable dishes. These local businesses serve up some of the tastiest chocolate chip treats in town!
A Chocolaty Tour
Tour Chip’s Chocolate Factory (at Crown Center, 2450 Grand Ave., Suite 239, Kansas City, MO, 816.421.0012), a true treat for the senses! From the delicious aroma of warm chocolate to the tasty samples and beautiful artistry of fudge makers’ preparing handmade confections in copper kettles and forming it on marble slabs, Chip’s is a delight for all ages. With a vision for entertaining and educating, the shop was designed for live demonstrations, which are offered daily.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Town
Only at Best Regards Bakery & Café (6759 W. 119th St., Overland Park, KS, 913.782.1505) can you enjoy a signature chocolate chip cookie that took three months and 72 test recipes to perfect! Moms can relax because BRB&C is committed to using the healthiest ingredients and the finest products they can find. They do not use corn syrup, preservatives or artificial flavors, and they use as little salt and sugar as possible.
Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Waffles
You won’t leave hungry after a trip to the Big Biscuit. The Big Biscuit offers one of the biggest home-style breakfast menus in town, with an entire section devoted just to pancakes¦including chocolate chip pancakes! For the waffle lover, you may order Belgian waffles dusted with powdered sugar and a variety of toppings.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, Stuffed Cookies and Cheesecake
Gigi’s (6780 W. 135th St., Overland Park, KS, 913.814.3883) is a national chain with a location nearby in Overland Park. They offer both regular and mini cupcakes. Their cupcake menu changes daily with roughly a dozen offerings according to the season and mood of the bakers…so you never know what you might enjoy at Gigi’s. However, one all-time favorite is the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake.
Chocolate Chip Cannoli
Holy cannoli-the cannoli at Metuka, The Pastry House (1614 W. 39th St., Kansas City, MO) are sinfully decadent! What makes these cannoli extra special are the chocolate chips and the magical way the creamy, pillow-soft filling doesn’t melt, while the pastry shell remains crisp and flavorful. No soggy cannoli at this patisserie.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Chocolate chocolate chip (it’s so nice they said it twice) ice cream at Murray’s Homemade Ice Cream (4120 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO, 816.931.5646) is an all-time favorite. Murray’s is one of the best ice cream shops in town with its old-fashioned soda fountain atmosphere and homemade quality desserts.